This landmark work challenges the separatist doctrines which have come to dominate our understanding of the world. Appiah revives the ancient philosophy of Cosmopolitanism, which dates back to the Cynics of the 4th century, as a means of understanding the complex world of today. Arguing that we concentrate too much on what makes us different rather than recognising our common humanity, Appiah explores how we can act ethically in a globalised world.

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Synopsis

This landmark work challenges the separatist doctrines which have come to dominate our understanding of the world. Appiah revives the ancient philosophy of Cosmopolitanism, which dates back to the Cynics of the 4th century, as a means of understanding the complex world of today. Arguing that we concentrate too much on what makes us different rather than recognising our common humanity, Appiah explores how we can act ethically in a globalised world.

About the Author

Kwame Anthony Appiah is Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University. He was born in Ghana and educated at Cambridge. His previous work includes My Father's House, Thinking it Through and The Ethics of Identity. He is co-editor of Africana.

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Kwame Appiah has a talent for making profound material almost effortless to read. This book tackles the ethics of some of the most important issues of our time, sensitively and fairly -- globalisation, terrorism, commercialisation, multiculturalism, and global justice. Before I read this book I had a hazy idea of something called 'cosmopolitanism' that was 'the opposite of nationalism'. Here the concept is fleshed out in colourful detail, seemingly without the 'western bias' of which liberal academics are often accused. Bear in mind that this is only one 'version' of cosmopolitanism -- there is a whole literature out there, which this book doesn't really plug into at all (Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics and The Cosmopolitanism Reader are excellent introductions to this). But it's a beautiful little book, well worth the afternoon it will take you to read it.

A short text that raises important questions about modern cosmopolitanism in an increasingly interactive world. The author attempts to answer a few difficult questions about what it means to live in a wider human community , what moral obligations do we have towards strangers ? To those who live beyond our borders as well as to neighbours from different cultures who share our immediate space. He professes a diluted form of moral relativism as he denies there are objective values that can guide us and that we can agree upon in the same manner as with scientific facts. ( even scientific facts can be interpreted within different frameworks) However he accepts there is a core of universal values that recognise our duty to total strangers and impel us to provide assistance to those suffering from disease or starvation or those who face death from persecution or natural catastrophes. Nevertheless developing ever wider loyalties and allegiances may become counterproductive if we neglect those who are closer to us.He contends that " the real challenge to cosmopolitanism isn't the belief that other people don' t matter at all but it is the belief that they don' t matter very much " The suffering of people far away is not likely to trump our daily mundane concerns but this is no excuse for indifference ,despair or passiveness.

We are invited to engage in a genuine cosmopolitan conversation , that is not just curious or sympathetic towards strangers and respectful of cultural differences but which is imbued with moral concern about how we can meet our obligations to those denied basic entitlements as a result of our own short sighted policies on foreign aid or climatic change as well as the iniquitous economic policies we impose with tariff barriers and foreign debts hefty repayments.

Overall I found his style too relaxed bordering on the casualness of a leisurely conversation as he often digresses with anecdotes from his own mixed Ghanaian background or with his personal cosmopolitan experiences. This approach may be convivial within the setting of an informal seminar with undergraduates , but is rather irritating in a book with academic ambitions where one would expect a degree of scholarly anonymity and a more rigorous presentation of arguments before they get lost in the conversational froth.

I am in the process of preparing myself for doctoral study in the area of ethnic identity in education. I have recently come across Appiah's theory of cosmopolitanism which, as the other reviewer has stated, differs from other interpretations of the umbrella-like concept. I find Appiah's articulation on cosmoplitanism to be somewhat refreshing in an over-indulged ethnic and unitary identity-based literature. The only issue I have is with Appiah's style of writing. His fluffy philandering dominates the book and it takes quite a while to 'dig up' a nugget of gold from his work. He meanders off on topics frequently and what he mentions doesn't always clearly relate to the initial point that he set out to discuss. Despite this there are a few nuggets that I find insightful. I just wished he'd discuss such nuggets in more pointed detail rather than his wishy-washy style which detracts from the crux of his message on the theory of cosmpolitanism. I wish there were others in different fields (including mine - education!) who articulated a similar cosmpolitanism to Appiah as I would greatly appreciate their theoretical and philosophical input.